Entertainment Mailbox: Sonic Youth criticized unfairly

03/08/07 - To the Cigar,I am writing in response to the CD review written by Jackie Cole about Sonic Youth's CD, B-sides and Rarities, in the Feb. 28 edition of the Cigar.

As I understand it, she essentially says that everyone tries so hard to be different, it becomes the norm, "leaving the truly original people frustrated and the faux-originals just looking like dumbasses."

I couldn't help but agree with this portion of the article, especially when she cited the annoying gimmicks of My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco as giving "different" a terrible image. Then, in the very next paragraph, she states, "Thus is the case with the grunge / noise / jam band sounds of Sonic Youth."

What? Come again? Did she actually compare the vapid lyrical and musical slop of My Chemical Romance to Sonic Youth? It took a second reading to conclude that, yes, indeed she did.

Allow me to say that the two aforementioned groups have absolutely no connection whatsoever to Sonic Youth. At all. Sonic Youth is not "trying" to be different in the same superficial manner, i.e. black dyed hair, angled haircuts and eyeliner.

Not only do they sound completely different, but they have practically defined noise and alternative rock, and influenced numerous bands, such as Nirvana and Trail of Dead. My Chemical Romance influenced young teenagers to wear lots of black and to write bad poetry (as if the world needs any more of that).

Cole asserts, "It is clear the band has either run out of original material and needs to call it quits, or that the current music scene has ... influenced them in a horrible way." Now, I haven't listened to B-sides and Rarities because I am still a recent convert to the legions of Sonic Youth fans. The title alone indicates that it is catering to the hardcore, long-term fans that have stuck with the band for the past 20 years or so.

The disc is a compilation of previously unreleased songs, some of which, ironically, are from the very same "early days" when Cole said Sonic Youth "were pretty damn good."

Rather Ripped was released just last year, and guess what? They still are pretty damn good, and still retain their trademark style. Many of the songs have set melodies and lyrics, and may be more to Jackie's liking. Judging a band's timeliness on a collector's disk is illogical and unfair to such a revolutionary band.

I was once in a noise band, and I'll be the first to admit that often noise rock does sound like nonsense. Our style was abrasive and outright weird, but we weren't expecting everyone to like it.

We did expect, at the very least, respect for trying something different. And I don't mean "different" as in wearing odd clothes and heavy eyeliner, but "different" as in not using the usual structure of songs and maybe (gasp!) leaving out lyrics.

Cole seems to confuse "faux-different" with inaccessibility, which is distinctly separate. Just because something is completely contrary to what she is used to doesn't mean it sucks. She couldn't relate and therefore didn't like the album, and that is perfectly OK Deeming a band obsolete and frivolous for doing what they have always done, however, is not OK, but extremely uninformed and just plain wrong.

Astrid Drew



Entertainment Editor Stephen Greenwell: Funny, but I'd consider writing about 500 words complaining about a CD review for a CD you've never heard extremely uninformed and just plain wrong.

That's fine if the band is releasing a collection of old singles and unreleased material, but since they're doing it now, that also gives Jackie plenty of leeway to criticize Sonic Youth's efforts against the music out now.

Even if they were popular innovators of a certain sound, if they now blend in with the efforts of Panic! and My Chemical Romance, then that's a major issue that I feel is fine for Jackie to bring up.

Personally, I don't have a time machine to experience the music independent of later released CDs. The band chose to release the CD now, so I don't think it's unfair to make comparisons to current artists.

Have questions, comments or concerns for the Entertainment Department? Send them to cigar@etal.uri.edu or cigarentertainment@myway.com.